Monday 3 December 2012

FRAGILE

I have been thinking lately - I know it is a strain.

Two of the most advanced and powerful countries in the history of the world
have been seriously disrupted, and damaged by mother nature during the past
year.

Japan and the United States of America - it is amazing. Water a few meters higher
than anticipated literally put large areas of these nations without power, drinkable
water, auto gas, and food for several weeks or longer.

The agencies designated as first responders, generally appeared to do a reasonable
job.

Speaking to the USA situation in particular, the disaster agencies like the Red Cross,
and in particular FEMA -   FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
whose single purpose to exist is to help in an emergency appeared from my perspective to a complete bust.

I heard a christian minister explaining to a radio reporter when asked if the Red Cross had been of any assistance to his waterlogged church say;
"They came by two days ago, dumped a lot of blankets and Canned food in
front of the church and left. I haven't heard or seen them since. We have little able
bodied help, no dry storage, and no vehicles.''

When asked about FEMA all he did was laugh. When reporters on the ground in
New York recently asked several young people who were carrying supplies up
several floors to elderly people who they were working for, they all said no one -
they had just come to help - had not seen anything of FEMA or the Red Cross.
The reporters also could not find these agencies - this in the worst hit areas.

This all happening in what may possibly be the richest city in the richest country
in the world.    Mind boggling!

What gets me particularly agitated is this  monster bureaucracy  FEMA -
- they have a budget of about six Billion dollars a year  to CO-ORDINATE
the response to a disaster.

Much like with hurricane Katrina, it appears to me both these high budget agencies,
with their billions of dollars behind them, give extremely poor value for the dollar.

The main point I'm trying to make is how fragile our modern world is to climate
extremes.
It appears if trucks cannot get through for three or four days, the local food supply
runs out in most large cities.

We wonder what happened to the Mayans - it appears that it does not take  much
of a change in climate to drastically upset the daily life, and future of a people.

The same may be said of the Hopi Native American nation of the southwest USA. An
 extended drought would undoubtedly cause them to up and leave there homes.

The bombardment of the Gaza Strip is continuing as of Nov. 21st 11.30AM. This
very smallsmall area of poor dispossessed people, is contained inside a walled
 compound, bordered by the sea (controlled by the Israelis) bordered by a
No-Mans- Land, called the Sinai Peninsula a part of Egypt, but effectively controlled
 by Israel. Into this captive population, one of the most advanced war machines on
earth has been bombing, shelling, and rocketing with the best weapons available.
The opposition in Gaza have been sending, mostly home made rockets, (evidently
made with fertiliser) helter-skelter all over the place. These rockets mostly land
in non residential areas.

The accepted "truth" of the latest round of destruction is that Hamas - the "radical|"
"terrorist" DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT has been sending
rockets into Israel for months, before the considerate, and reasonable Israelis took
any action.
This may or may not be true. But what is undisputed (well that is me talking - it
definitely is disputed) is that these captive people were coerced, threatened, and
indeed forced off their land.  The 1948-49 and later 1967 exodus after the two
Arab wars the beginning of the land grab, and the life of refugees in soul destroying
camps for the next sixty odd years..

It has been about two weeks since I wrote the above - did not publish it.  Since that
time the United Nations General Assembly has granted The Palestinians  non-member
observer state status. 
This action by the UN may mean little in concrete, tangible results - but it did signify the
about 97% of the members of the UN voted in favor of the Palestinians.







1 comment:

beth bennett said...

maklng us all think

Air Traffic control - hutcheon Inquiry - Youth - Amazing what can be done!

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